Morris Koffman (Dec 28, 1928 - Mar 28 2001) was born in Toronto,ON, Canada.
His 1958 hit, "Swinging Shepherd Blues," is arguably his most famous work, although Mr. Koffman was a musical innovator, appearing as a solo artist, and in collaboration with a host of others (Dizzie Gilespie, Rob McConnell, etc.) right up until 2000.
Although he is best for his jazz flute pieces, Koffman was also an accomplished saxophonist, and clarinetist.
In the 1970s, Koffman experimented with jazz arrangements of music by Vivaldi, Bach, Berlioz, Debussy, Grieg, and Mozart. Two of the albums, Moe Koffman Plays Bach and Vivaldi's Four Seasons, reached gold record status in Canada, 1971-2. Released on the GRT label on vinyl, much of this work is, as of yet, unavailable for sale on CD.
Other compositions for which Koffman is known include the opening and closing themes ('Curried Soul' and 'Koff Drops,' respectively) for CBC Radio's As It Happens.
Koffman received the Order of Canada in 1993.
Koffman died of cancer at the age of 72.
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